City Code on Dog Licenses

Code 144-14 Dog LicensesA. Purpose. The purpose of this section is to provide for the licensing and identification of dogs, the control and protection of the dog population and the protection of persons, property, and domestic animals from dog attack and damage.

B. License required.
(1) All dogs within the City of Schenectady which are four months of age or older shall be licensed, unless otherwise exempted. The owner of each dog required to be licensed shall obtain, complete and return to the Clerk of the City of Schenectady a dog license application, together with the license application fee, any applicable license surcharges and such additional fees as may be established by the City of Schenectady. Each license application shall be accompanied by proof that the dog has been vaccinated against rabies or a statement from a licensed veterinarian that such vaccination would endanger the dog's life, in which case vaccination shall not be required. Each license issued shall be valid for a period of one year and shall not be transferable.

(2) The City of Schenectady authorizes the organization with whom it contracts for shelter services to provide, accept and grant an application for a dog license made by a resident of the City of Schenectady at the time of the adoption of a dog from the organization, provided that such application is made in accordance with the dog licensure subsection of this section. The license fee, any additional fees and surcharges shall be remitted to the Clerk of the City of Schenectady on or before the third day of the month following the month in which the license fee and additional fee and surcharge was received.

(3) Purebred license. The owner of one or more purebred dogs registered by a recognized registry association may annually make an application for a purebred license, in lieu of or in addition to the individual licenses required by this article. A purebred license is nontransferable, and shall be valid for a period of one year beginning with the first day of the month following the date of issuance, and shall be renewable annually thereafter prior to the expiration date. Each purebred license application shall include a statement by the owner that all purebred dogs over the age of four months which are harbored on the premises have been listed.

(4) Exemptions from license requirement. Any dog harbored within the City of Schenectady which is owned by a resident of New York City or licensed by the City of New York, or which is owned by a nonresident of New York State and licensed by a jurisdiction outside the State of New York, shall for a period of 30 days be exempt from the licensing and identification provisions of this section.

C. Fees.
(1) The City of Schenectady hereby establishes the fee for a dog license issued pursuant to this section at $10 to which amount shall be added $5 if the dog for which the license application is made is unspayed or unneutered. Dogs owned by one or more persons, each of whom are 65 years of age or older, are exempt from the payment of this local ten-dollar license fee.

(2) In addition to the license fee established by Subsection C(1) of this section, each applicant for a dog license shall pay a surcharge of $1 if the dog to be licensed is altered, or a fee of $3 if the dog to be licensed is unaltered. Surcharge will be remitted to the Department of Agriculture and Markets for transmittal to the State Comptroller for deposit in the population control fund.

(3) In addition to the license fee imposed by Subsection C(1) of this section, each applicant for a dog license shall pay a surcharge of $2.50 which shall be retained by the City of Schenectady and used to defray the cost of enumeration of dogs living within the City of Schenectady, and the cost of providing replacement identification tags.

(4) The annual fee of each purebred license shall be $40. In addition to the purebred license fee imposed by this section, each applicant for a purebred dog license shall pay a surcharge of $3. The surcharge will be remitted to the Department of Agriculture and Markets for transmittal to the State Comptroller for deposit in the population control fund.

(5) Exemptions from fee requirement. Applications submitted for a dog license for any guide, hearing, service, war, working search, detection, police and therapy dogs shall not be required to pay a license fee.

D. Identification. Identification tags which have been obtained for a dog must be worn at all times by the dog. A dog participating in a dog show shall, however, be exempt from this identification requirement during such participation.

E. Change of ownership; lost or stolen dog.
(1) In the event of a change in the ownership of any dog which has been assigned an official identification number or a change in the address of the owner of record of any such dog, the owner of record shall, within 10 days of such change, file with the Clerk a written report of such change. Such owner of record shall be liable for any violation of this section until such filing is made or until the dog is licensed in the name of the new owner.

(2) If any dog which has been assigned an official identification number is lost or stolen, the owner of record shall, within 10 days of the discovery of such loss or theft, file with the Clerk a written report of such loss or theft. In the case of a loss or theft, the owner of record of any such dog shall not be liable for any violation of this section committed after such report is filed.

(3) In the case of a dog's death, the owner of record shall so notify the Clerk either prior to renewal of licensure or upon the time of such renewal. Failure to notify the Clerk of the death of a dog as so required herein shall constitute a violation and the owner of record shall be held liable.

F. Violation.
(1) It shall be a violation for an owner to fail to license any dog; fail to have any dog identified; knowingly affix to any dog any false or improper identification tag, special identification tag for identifying guide, service or hearing dogs or purebred license tag; fail to notify the Clerk of a change of dog ownership and a change of address; furnish any false or misleading information on any form required to be filed with the Clerk.

(2) A violation is an offense punishable by a fine of not less than $50, except that:
(A) Where the person was found to have violated this section within the preceding five years, the fine may not be less than $100; and

(B) Where the person was found to have committed two or more such violations within the preceding five years, the fine may not be less than $200 or imprisonment for not more than 15 days, or both.

(3) Where prosecuted as an action to recover a civil penalty, the amount shall not be less than $50, except that:
(A) When the person was found to have violated this section within the preceding five years, the civil penalty may not be less than $100; and

(B) Where the person was found to have committed two or more such violations within the preceding five years, the civil penalty may not be less than $200.